Having a home sauna is a fantastic perk to have; there is no doubt about it. The benefits it can bring you are great, but it’s always wise to use it correctly in the right amount of time. The many health benefits that you can gain from it are remarkable, after all. With that, having a home sauna also comes with its fair share of risks, amongst them not having someone who can readily check on you to see if anything has gone wrong. Things can go wrong if you stay too long, and many problems can evolve from such an issue. To ensure that you don’t make such a mistake when at home, let’s go over the problems of staying too long in a sauna.

Arteries

Whenever you step into a sauna, you are most likely to have your arteries expanded to deal with the influx of heat. This state can give the significant benefit of having lower blood pressure, which can help you relax when needed. However, the drawback to this happening for too long is that if you try doing anything sudden with a rush, nausea and dizziness will be right around the corner as well. If you have to wind up pushing yourself too hard, you could wind up fainting, which you should avoid.

Dehydration

No matter what setting you’re in, you should avoid dehydration at all costs. However, wherever you go into a home sauna, the importance of this is significantly magnified since you’re constantly losing water from the never-ending sweat you’ll be undergoing. Followed by the problem of being dehydrated, you could also wind up suffering from muscle cramps, dry skin, and severe headaches. Ironically, dehydration causes many of the issues that you would initially seek to solve by going into the sauna in the first place. To avoid such cases, you should make sure that you drink a plentiful amount of water before and during the sauna session. 

Heat Stress

Heat stress is another problem you can run into if you use the sauna for far too long. It’s a condition that can occur should you, of course, be exposed to too much heat for far too long. This stress can be horrible in a sauna since your core body temperature is raised along with the heat. Because of this, vital parts of your internal body will feel this heat and suffer from it if sustained for too long. The excess heat eventually begins to take a significant toll on your body, putting undue stress and physical debilitations on it. This practice can wear you out faster and give you fatigue along with passing out if you’re not careful. 

The proper time and exposure

What all of these problems have in common is one denominator: Time. If you stay any longer than necessary many of these problems will occur. The longer you stick, the more you sweat. This situation leads to less fluid in you and the more likely to incur dehydration if you’re not careful enough. On the flip side, if your core temperature gets raised too much, especially if you’re in an infra-red sauna, that means your body is at a higher risk of heat stress. If you’re starting to use saunas, you should only use them for 10-minute sessions. The more your body gets acclimated to the use, the more likely it can withstand 40-45 minute sessions so that you can get the most out of it. Patience and preparation are keys to avoiding the problems mentioned above, so remember these when using the sauna, especially after a workout.

Conclusion

As you prep up your home sauna for use, remember to stay adequately hydrated and use a timer to let you know that your sauna session is over. You’ll be able to reap the benefits that come with using a sauna with little to get in your way!